Cons:

If this sounds familiar, then you're most likely an Irvine Welsh fan, a soft-spoken Glaswegian, or a member of that refined breed of gamer who has had the unique joy of playing past incarnations of Codemasters' widely acclaimed Colin McRae Rally.

As if the rally racing sub-genre isn't a hard enough sell for the average North American gamer, try explaining to nitpicky racers that they'll need to learn to decipher a coded European dialect as they careen around miles (okay, kilometers) of twisting, turning, treacherous simulated road, devoid of other cars, and they will probably scoff at you sooner than give it a shot.

Still, if rally racing is an acquired taste (and it most certainly is), then Colin McRae Rally 04 is the sort of delectable entree destined to whet more than a few discerning gamers' appetites. The unfortunate absence of subtitles aside, after a few quick sessions (and with the additional aid of simple HUD icons) the initially cryptic-sounding co-driver calls will begin to serve as familiar and essential components of what ultimately amounts to a deeply rewarding racing experience. Once you recognize the aforementioned phrase as "very long crest narrows, don't cut," you'll be well on your way to virtual rally superstardom. Presumably, you'll also know that it means that after a gradual rise in the terrain, the road will narrow, and you should be careful not to drive across the apex of the upcoming corner, lest you spin out or otherwise harm your vehicle. Hey, no one said virtual superstardom would come easy.

Motor Away

Of course, translating the navigational advice of droning Glaswegian co-driver Derek Ringer (who replaces last year's droning Welshman Nicky Grist in the passenger seat of your ride) will quickly prove the least of your worries. Developing the skill to actually use his advice on the fly to make it around each stage as quickly as possible without totaling your car in the process is a far greater challenge, requiring more than mere linguistic prowess.

Slip and slide.

This becomes painfully clear soon after you first speed into a gravel-filled ditch, smack into a tree, spin out amid the brilliant glare of a reflective ice-covered hairpin turn, or flip over after woefully misjudging a blind jump. Rally racing is one of the few sub-genres in the over-saturated racing market in which big name cars (Ford, Peugot, Mitsubishi, Audi, and the like) incur major debilitating damage over time. Colin McRae Rally 04 gets it painstakingly right. Filth-encrusted windows crack and smash upon impact; bumpers dent, hang, and fall off; mufflers spark, wheeze, and belch filthy smoke; suspension springs give out; tires burst; engines sputter and fail.

As refreshing as it is to witness a game in which the damage done is breathtakingly realistic, not merely in terms of graphics and sound, but also in terms of how your car ultimately handles, newcomers will soon learn that to make it in this game, you'll need to do much more than simply put the petal to the metal. You'll need to know when to speed up, when to slow down, when to cut quick, when to ease into a turn, how to read and anticipate every nuance of the ever-shifting terrain, and how to properly equip your car before each new challenge. In the long run, throwing caution to the wind is simply not an option.